MAPLE PLAIN, Minn. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — June 5, 2014 —
Proto Labs, Inc. (NYSE:
PRLB) will formally introduce its new metal
injection molding process in New York at the Atlantic Design and
Manufacturing trade show on June 10-12. Over the past year, the online
and technology-enabled quick-turn manufacturer has developed an advanced
process for molding low-volume stainless steel parts, which is now
available to its customers.

Representatives from Proto Labs will be in attendance at AD&M discussing
MIM and its different applications. Metal injection molding is a
multi-step process that can produce complex, fully dense metal parts
that are used across many different industries, particularly in
automotive, medical and consumer electronics sectors.

“The launch of metal injection molding at Proto Labs lets us fill a
nearly unoccupied space in the manufacturing industry, which is the
short-run production of metal parts,” explains Proto Labs President and
CEO, Vicki Holt. “MIM has traditionally been limited to large-scale
manufacturing of tens of thousands of parts; we can now machine a mold
and deliver around 5,000 parts in about three weeks. We’re thrilled to
provide that service for product developers.”

Proto Labs’ integration of metal injection molding comes in parallel to
its recent addition of liquid silicone rubber (LSR) molding, with the
two new processes enhancing the established thermoplastic molding
capabilities in Protomold. Additionally, the Minnesota-based company has
made a major investment in additive manufacturing having just acquired
FineLine Prototyping from Raleigh, North Carolina. The additive
manufacturing service uses stereolithography, selective laser sintering
and direct metal laser sintering to build rapid prototype parts, and is
seen as a complement to Proto Labs’ Firstcut CNC Machining and Protomold
Injection Molding services.

With molding, machining, and now additive manufacturing, Proto Labs is
in the unique position to take its customers from the very early stages
of prototyping up through mid-volume production. “We’ve added five new
manufacturing processes in the first five months of 2014,” says Holt.
“It’s all about talking with our customers, listening to what they want
and providing it to them. MIM, LSR and our three additive processes
represent that.”